Dude, Ultraman Nexus is awesome.

[NAND NOR]

If you actually bother to watch more than one, you might see that the Ultraman shows, and Tsuburaya Productions has a strong sense of tradition, unlike Toei/Bandai and their never ending desire for nothing more than more money.

Oh, and Tsuburaya doesn't really fool themselves. With the exception of Nexus and UltraSeven X, these shows are meant for children. They aren't going to make all of the monsters look too frightening for a five year old.

 

[Daikamonohashi]

IMO, Ultraman kaiju are RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME and really stick out more than your sentai/rider baddie-of-the-week. With some exceptions, of course.

And yeah, Nexus is a cool show but it's a lot of gloom and doom and depressing stuff. Seriously, what's up with that? Why's everyone gotta be all "Oh it's dark therefore it's better than the other 40 years of Ultraman!" I mean, ULTRAMAN THE NEXT is one of my favorite movies ever but ULTRAMAN MAX is my personal favorite Ultra series and it's totally absurd in some episodes!

Have some fun, people! That's what Ultraman's *really* about!

 

[Forever Knight]

Ultraseven, Tiga, Dyna, Gaia, Nexus, Max, Mebius, Ultraseven X = The best imo.

But yeah Nexus is fucking awesome and dark. It's what got me into Ultraman in the first place.

 

[ryuuseipro]

My 2 cents:

Ultraman Nexus is certainly a solid series. Most surprisingly, this show has gotten a lot of non-fans to really appreciate the Ultra Series as a whole! I am very glad for that. Ditto Ultraman the Next and even Ultraseven X.

But other than that, I find it disheartening that a new generation of "toku" fans, raised only on newer Toei Superhero shows, will not watch any of the Ultra Series, just because it features "a giant hero fighting giant monsters." I don't find newer Super Sentai or Masked Riders to be any more "believable" or "absurd" than even newer Ultramen. They are staples of pure fantasy. Plus, Tsuburaya always cared greatly about their shows and characters, which is why they stood the test of time, whereas every new show Toei/Bandai makes ends up in the garbage for the next new show, only to be forgotten by the public at large. Which makes me feel rather sad.

By default, I am a Godzilla and kaijuu fan, and I have idolized Godzilla my entire life. But I always loved superheroes and robots as well, Japanese and American. I have no trouble with giant heroes, monsters or robots fighting each other. The Ultra Series has always had more memorable and iconic monsters/aliens than even Toei shows ever did! Just like Godzilla and his kind, monsters like Pegila, Kanegon, Baltan-Seijin, Red King, Gomora, Pigmon, Eleking, King Joe, et al., have stood the test of time as much as the heroes did. Not only were they designed by masters like Tohl Narita, but they had PERSONALITY! That says something.

I love Godzilla and always related with him, partly because he had a great personality. But that's another story . . .

Ultra Seven, who I truly consider the Japanese Superman, is a hero I have always related with. Aside from his cool art-deco warrior design and assorted arsenal, he has had more depth and character development than even Ultraman did. I also relate to him (and even Ultraman and his brethren) because, unlike team heroes, he wasn't ordered around by his own friends who make all the decisions for him (ala Danny Phantom or Jake Long), he did everything for himself. Just like Superman, Ultra Seven wanted to live like everyone else on the Earth he loved so much without everyone pressuring him into being "super" all the time. How can I not relate to that?

I feel sad that people cannot relate to heroes like Ultra Seven just because they're "giant." It's just like newer anime fans (who I find to be an infuriatingly closed-minded lot), who hate superheroes/monsters (unless they're "realistic") and want more overdecorated bishi. Maybe Seven, like other classic heroes, was just guilty of not being made to sell toys like more recent heroes (particularly from Toei)? If more Super Sentai/Power Rangers (or more post-Kuuga Masked Riders and Ryuuki's impending localization) is all these people want, then I'm so glad Tsuburaya's sticking to their guns. Don't try to be something you're not. (Tsuburaya tried that with Ultra Super Legend: Andromelos in 1984, and while it was entertaining, it wasn't exactly their greatest experiment.)

All that said, I highly encourage people to watch the Ultra Series, and see why it's so important to not just tokusatsu, but pop culture in general. Even if you have to watch a more "sophisticated" show like Nexus and the like. And I wouldn't be surprised if you came in totally indifferent and come out an enthusiastic Ultra-Fan.

All the Best,

 

[Seven X]

I thought I wouldn't enjoy Nexus, but I REALLY liked it. The part I didn't like was how late they introduced Zagi, though they introduced Unknown Hand, they never introduced Dark Zagi, at all before the ending. Another thing I didn't like was that I didn't find the Deputy Captain very attractive; and I know it's not a very important aspect of Nexus, it would just be easier to watch had the Deputy Captain been more attractive to me.

I think Ultraseven X was better than this, but nonetheless, this is a really good series. I think these two Ultraman were aimed purposely towards teens and adults, which is probably why I enjoyed them more.

Are there any other Ultraman that aims towards older teens and adults, because I don't like it to be too childish. I understand it's Tokusatsu and meant to be towards younger children, but there are just some that are not as childish than others; more mature so to speak.

 

[Exo_Kopaka]

Yes, for your same reasons, I never saw myself going into Ultraman much. But I saw Nexus, I was set straight. I really like the pace at which it goes, which is something a lot of tokus tend to overlook :disappoin .

No, I have not exceeded past Episode 3. I promised myself I would finish Justirisers, which I didn't even start on yet because my damn DVD burner isn't working properly. Once that's done, Nexus will be burned! Yay me!

 

[Daikamonohashi]

I thought I wouldn't enjoy Nexus, but I REALLY liked it. The part I didn't like was how late they introduced Zagi, though they introduced Unknown Hand, they never introduced Dark Zagi, at all before the ending. Another thing I didn't like was that I didn't find the Deputy Captain very attractive; and I know it's not a very important aspect of Nexus, it would just be easier to watch had the Deputy Captain been more attractive to me.

I think Ultraseven X was better than this, but nonetheless, this is a really good series. I think these two Ultraman were aimed purposely towards teens and adults, which is probably why I enjoyed them more.

Are there any other Ultraman that aims towards older teens and adults, because I don't like it to be too childish. I understand it's Tokusatsu and meant to be towards younger children, but there are just some that are not as childish than others; more mature so to speak.

While, yes, it's primarily aimed at children, Ultraman has always been made so that just about anyone could sit down and enjoy it. That's the impression I've always gotten, anyway.

Why is it that people eat up sentai (the newer series especially!) and then turn around and call Ultraman "childish?" I mean, it's certainly a very kid-friendly show but it's got giant heroes kicking the **** out of giant monsters in wicked miniature cities! What more can you ask for??

*Like Ryuusei, is a Godzilla/Kaiju devotee at heart*

EDIT: Also, the production values are way better than the Sentai and Chouseishin (did I get that right?) series. And a lot less grating on the nerves. Couldn't get into those at all.

 

[DynaMatt]

For me Ultraman: Towards the Future was my introduction into the Ultraman Universe. It was all I had for a long time until I had internet. I have seen all 50 episodes of Ultraman Mebius plus all 3 Hikari Saga Ep.s, the first 5 episodes of Ultraman Dyna, snippets of other Ultraman Series, and the first 9 episodes of Ultra Galaxy: Daikaiju Battle. Nexus looks very intersting. I will have to chek it out. And as far as the Kaiju go, I actually find some to be more impressive than most Kaiju that even Godzilla himself has fought.

 

[MattComix]

Well, at the end of the day you will get people who are really stubborn and act like snobs in regards to anything.

Like people who think "dark" is automatically synonymous with quality storytelling. Then you have people who are just there for the power fantasy and don't care or even actively hate the whole HERO part of the henshin hero or superhero thing. Which is stupid and sad IMO.

You'll get people that want to look down their nose at shows that happened before they started watching or if it's fans of older series who have locked themselves into the idea that even the slightest variation from what they know is a crime.

But you know, for every person who has the "old stuff, icky!" reaction there are also plenty who discover an old Rider, Sentai, Ultra show and can actually put themselves in the moment and not get dismissive because things aren't totally slick or whatever. ..and even still sometimes people change their minds when they go back and watch things again.

In terms of tone preference I think I tend to be sort of in the middle. I'm not really impressed when hero stories get too extremely dark and depressing, or in some cases needlessly gory like many modern American comics. Trust me when I say that when Daikamonohashi says "Have some fun people!" I know where he's coming from.

But at the same time I can only take so much wackyness. Like in Kabuto there are many episodes that grind to a complete freaking halt just to have more cookery antics. Action and drama of the show end up taking a total backseat to it in my opinion.

All that being said, I enjoyed Ultraman Nexus as a more serious take on Ultraman. To me I looked at it as while Ultraman most of the time is protecting a very hopeful future, in Nexus you had a future in dire need of hope and the power of Ultraman is the something the characters harness by finding such hope in themselves. So while the tone may be more serious and it's a darker world Ultraman is still the awesome hero of light.

I think I enjoyed Ultraman Nexus the same way I enjoyed Kamen Rider Kuuga. Not only did I just really like the suit and monster designs but also as an experiment in doing a more dramatic styled Ultra series. When I watched Ultraman Tiga I felt about it sort of like I did about Kamen Rider Black where the design and approach to it was modern but it still had a old-school vibe.

I do admit though that I haven't really found a classic Ultra series that I like and I couldn't get into the series that followed Nexus. Perhaps I'll give Mebius a shot at some point.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Raida|23]

Well, at the end of the day you will get people who are really stubborn and act like snobs in regards to anything.

So true.